What to expect, from first call to filing.

The starting point is a phone or video call. Use the contact form and we'll reach out to schedule.

The call is short and structured: a few questions about what you're trying to accomplish, what assets are involved, and what conversations you've already had with your advisor, attorney, or family. By the end, we'll tell you whether the work you're asking about fits our practice.

If we're not the right firm, we'll say so. If we know a better fit, we'll introduce you. There's no obligation, no fee, and no follow-up sales pressure.

If we both think the engagement makes sense, we send you a short scope memo within a week of the call. The memo covers:

• What we'd do, in plain language
• What's specifically out of scope
• The deliverable you'll receive at the end
• The timeline (typically 2-6 weeks for a planning engagement)
• The fee - fixed where possible, with a clear estimate where not

Once we agree, you'll receive a formal engagement letter to sign electronically. Then we begin.

For a planning engagement, this is when we model your options - side by side, with your real numbers, across a few different time horizons, laid out so they're easy to compare.

You'll typically have one check-in conversation during this phase - to confirm assumptions, talk through preliminary findings, or adjust scope if something has changed.

The deliverable is a written memo - typically 3-6 pages with supporting schedules. One preferred recommendation, two reasonable alternatives, and the assumptions that drove the analysis. Everything in plain language; technical terms defined when used.

If a referring advisor or attorney is involved, they receive the same memo on the same day. We walk you through the recommendation in a follow-up conversation.

At this point you decide. We don't push.

After the recommendation, one of three things happens:

• You proceed with our recommendation. If it's a trust, we coordinate with your attorney on drafting the trust instrument and the initial funding mechanics. The engagement closes; if you'd like us to administer the trust going forward, a separate annual engagement begins.
• You proceed with one of the alternatives. Same thing - we coordinate with whoever's executing.
• You decide not to proceed at all. That's also fine. We've earned the engagement fee for an honest analysis; you have a written record of why now wasn't the right time.

We quote fixed fees on planning engagements wherever possible, scaled to the complexity of the analysis. You'll have the fee in writing in the scope memo before any billable work begins.

For annual engagements - trust administration, personal tax preparation - the fee is a fixed annual amount agreed at engagement. It does not change mid-year without a conversation.

We don't bill for the introductory call, and we don't charge for unproductive meetings, calendar coordination, or back-and-forth that should have been handled inside our fee.